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CLEVELAND, Ohio — A reliance on fast food, a lack of time to cook healthy meals and the perception that healthy foods are expensive are among the factors keeping Americans from heart-healthy living, according to a new national Cleveland Clinic survey,
About 10% of Americans think fast food is the most heart-healthy diet, and almost half of Americans buy fast food at least once a week, the survey found.
This year’s survey asked about people’s heart healthy habits and the most common barriers to heart-healthy lifestyles, with a focus on diet and exercise, the Clinic said.
The results of the Clinic’s annual national heart survey are not surprising, but they do give physicians insight into how people think about diet and how it affects their health, said Dr. Lee Kirksey, vice chairman of vascular surgery at the Clinic.
“People in general don’t necessarily understand how they can make tasty, healthful foods,” Kirksey said. “It’s a lack of awareness about how to make and prepare healthy food alternatives.”
The survey was conducted as part of Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute’s “Love your Heart” consumer education campaign. The Clinic is nationally recognized as a leader in cardiology and cardiac surgery.
It is true that fruit, vegetables and lean meat can be more expensive than preservative-filled convenience foods. But American should still make the extra effort to stick to a heart-healthy diet, Kirksey said.
“Our health and the health of our family and those around us is our most important asset,” he said. “Investment in health has a return in reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other vascular disorders, like amputation. Investing in one’s health by eating more healthfully is not a lost investment.”
Among other survey findings:
- Almost half of American adults view healthy food being more expensive as the biggest barrier to healthy eating.
- Parents (14%) are twice as likely than non-parents (7%) to think a fast-food diet is the most heart healthy.
- 71% of Americans believe that moderate exercise has a greater impact on losing weight than diet.
- Access to healthy food also can be an issue especially for minority communities. About one-fifth of Black Americans say it is hard for them to access stores that sell healthy food compared to 15% of white Americans.
- Nearly 40% of Americans think low-fat (37%) and low-carb (35%) diets are good for the heart. Only 15% picked the Mediterranean diet, which the Clinic recommends for lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke, based on clinical research.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, grains, olive oil and nuts, with some fish and poultry, while minimizing dairy products, red meat, processed meats and sweets.
The Clinic’s heart-healthy survey is a good reminder that discussions about diet and exercise should be part of every office visit, Kirksey said.
“We should not forget, in our overall assessment and treatment plan for the patient, to emphasize the impact of lifestyle and diet on their overall health and be cognizant of those barriers,” he said.
Survey answers came from a national sample of 1,000 American adults who participated in an online survey.
An oversample of African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans were included in the survey to get between 250 and 350 people for each ethnicity or race. The margin of error for the total sample at the 95% confidence level is plus or minus 3 percentage points, the Clinic said.
Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link. Also:
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